Arthur is to blame! We were due to start our sailing trip on Saturday, July 5, but Mother Nature decided otherwise... Arthur, the first storm of the year, hit the east coast with a vengeance on Friday night. The result? Most flights to the Maritimes were delayed, including ours. But no worries – Hakuna Matata – we all found ourselves in Halifax on Sunday, July 6, ready for the big adventure. A special thank you goes out to the Foundation’s project managers, Catherine Provost and Michel Leblanc, who moved heaven and earth to make sure everything went smoothly; and to the people at Air Canada, who were so understanding of our plight.
Once we had set foot on Nova Scotia soil, we had a bus journey of just under four hours from our new point of departure. Our boat also had to set sail in a hurry in the face of fierce winds and dizzying waves. So, we’ll be leaving from Port Hawkesbury instead of than Halifax.
There’s a lot of chatter and laughter on the bus! It’s as if these young people have known each other all their lives. Anna-Maria, Justen, Camille, and Jasmin lungs were bursting as they sang Abba’s lesser-known hits and the best-known songs from The Lion King. We should also mention the contribution of our bus driver, a John Coffey lookalike (remember him? The black convict with magical powers in The Green Mile…) and father of five, who says he’s listened to this classic song every day for 11 years (quick calculation…around 4,000 times!) and who made us play the soundtrack three times in a row.
We arrived at our destination towards the end of the afternoon and met the crew who were waiting for us on the dock. We visited our training ship – the Roter Sand – loaded our luggage, took possession of our bunks and then it was time for dinner. It was a short evening, punctuated by an initial group discussion where everyone had a chance to share their expectations and fears about this adventure. Some of us are really looking forward to seeing the whales. We’ll sleep dockside tonight and set sail tomorrow!
Translated by Lorraine Gagnon